However, eating disorders are not about food. They usually stem from something deeper. Eating disorders can be a coping mechanism for some dealing with challenging life situations, or past and current traumas. These disorders can usually signal problems or difficulties with self-esteem and can affect both men and women.
Clinical Eating Disorders are recognized as medical conditions and include:
Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Bulima Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa…
usually begins during puberty. People who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa are obsessed with controlling their eating. And sufferers usually believe if they can control their bodies they can control their lives, and the obsession usually starts with starvation.
Symptoms can include:
Losing a lot of weight without any logical reason
unable to maintain a weight that is normal for age/height
and obsession to be thinner
afraid of gaining weight or getting “fat”
signs of starvation which can include: thinning of hair, or actual hair loss, the appearance of fine light hair on the body (the bodies way of keeping warm to replace the loss of body fat), yellowing palms or soles of feet, dry and pasty skin, abnormal menstrual periods in women.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)…
Those with BED eat large excessive amounts of food at one time. Usually because they are very hungry because they have been dieting or restricting their eating. Binging is the bodies response to hunger. Or they may over eat for comfort. To numb any pain, or avoid an uncomfortable situation. It is an effort to ease any pain and soothe themselves. People who suffer from BED are usually ashamed and embarrassed. Tend to be heavier than the “average” person and do not try to balance their over eating with over-exercising or abusing laxatives, or purging as people with anorexia or bulimia do.
The symptoms of Binge Eating can be:
eating quickly and in secret
feeling like you are unable to stop eating
eating large amounts of food often and in one sitting
feeling guilty and or ashamed after binging
People who binge may have had a history of diet failures and can also be obese.
Bulimia Nervosa…
This disorder is cycles of bingeing (Consuming the food) and purging (ridding the body of the consumed food)
It is usually driven with a longing to normalize feelings and worries about body weight and image.
The cycle starts when a person quickly eats excessive amounts of food in a single sitting. This may initially numb feelings like anger, sadness, or guilt. It also triggers a physical anxiety and discomfort. As a consequence the person tries to rid the body of the food it has consumed . Usually by vomiting, using laxatives, enemas or diuretics by over exercising, skipping out on meals or dieting .
Symptoms include:
Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging,
feeling out of control while eating,
vomiting, using laxatives, diet pills or diuretics,
exercising excessively,
skipping meals to try to rid the body of the food,
Frequent dieting.
People with bulimia may well have a weight that is “normal”
There are other eating disorders such as:
Night-Eating Syndrome; where individuals try to limit their eating during the day, and eat at night to compensate. This pattern of self-starvation can cause problems with sleep, biological and emotional factors related to stress.
Pica; which is the eating of things that are not food. People with pica crave things like dirt, clay, chalk, laundry powders, cigarette ashes, rust or plastic. If the items eaten are toxic or contaminated the individuals may get very ill or die.
Rumination; spitting up and chewing food over and over again. They spit up soon after they eat, and can chew their food for hours.
Anorexia Athletica (Compulsive Exercising); is a condition where people over exercise because they think this will control their bodies, give them a sense of power and authority, control and self respect. Compulsive exercising can have serious health consequences.
Usually those suffering from eating disorders have low self-esteem, withdrawl socially, say they feel fat when weight is normal or low, have preoccupation with food, weight, counting calories and with what people think, deny that there is a problem, and want to be “perfect”, they usually have an intolerance of others and are unable to concentrate.
So What causes an eating disorder?
When someone has an eating disorder, their weight and body image is the main focus of their life. The preoccupation with calories, grams of fat, exercise and weight allows them to mask any painful emotions or situations that are the root of the problem and gives them the false feeling they are in control.
There is no single cause of an eating disorder. It usually an be a result of many different factors. Psychological factors like low self-esteem, or lack of control, depression, anger or loneliness. Interpersonal factors can be personal relationships or troubled family, problems with expressing emotions and feelings, a history of sexual, physical or emotional abuse. With the Media promoting unrealistic images and goals, of image, that can be another contributor.
There can also a possibility of biochemical or biological causes which are being studied. Some people who suffer from an eating disorder have been found to have an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite and digestion.
There Is Treatment…
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, you are not alone. Many men and women have eating disorders and there is no shame in asking for help! Most often the problem is too big to fix on your own, and help and support are available for you!
If you think someone you know has an eating disorder, learn what you can about these conditions. Express your concerns in a caring and calm way. You can't force someone to get help or change their behaviour. The most important thing for them to know is that you care and you are there to support them.
The sooner someone seeks help, the sooner they will benefit from treatment. However, people with an eating disorder usually work very hard to keep it secret, and find it very difficult to even admit that they have a problem. Diagnosis can be difficult, since the symptoms of eating disorders often occur in combination with depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
A multi-disciplinary approach is the most effective way for treatment. This involves a thorough medical assessment, nutritional guidance, support, medical follow-up, individual, group and family therapy. And usually eating disorders have a deep negative impact on family members, the entire family may need counselling.
For more information about eating disorders, contact a community organization like the Canadian Mental Health Association to find out about support and resources in your community. Visit www.cmha.ca. Also, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre has a national listing of treatment services and resources online at www.nedic.ca
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